Why the World’s Greatest Artists Have Loved Performing on U-M’s Stages for 144 Years
Additional Lecture To Be Announced
Lecture (1:30–2:45 PM)
UMS is the oldest university-related performing arts presenter in the U.S. and the only one to be awarded the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given in the arts by the U.S. government in a ceremony at The White House presented by the President.
In his presentation, Ken will explore the many reasons that led to this unique recognition as “leader and best” through stories about the musicians, dancers, and actors who appeared on our stages.
You’ll find out why Vladimir Horowitz, the greatest pianist of the 20th century, gave 15 concerts at Hill Auditorium between 1928-80; the role golf on the U-M courses played in deepening dancer/actor Mikhail Baryshnikov’s connection to Ann Arbor; how excited Shakespeare actor Patrick Stewart (aka Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek) was to accept a leading role, center stage, in the largest theater in the round in the U.S. (Michigan Stadium); how Dascola Barbers’ warm welcome of the great Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli to our community contributed to more sold-out return engagements by her to Hill Auditorium; why Leonard Bernstein, America’s most famous conductor, chose to bring the Vienna Philharmonic to Ann Arbor, one of only four North American cities, for his 70th birthday tour; and how being able to smoke a cigar in the U-M President’s House following his Berlin Philharmonic concert led conductor Claudio Abbado to invite U-M sophomore conducting student Steven Jarvi to study with Abbado at the Salzburg Festival.
These and the “backstage stories” about other artists will reveal why they love performing at U-M.
Burton Memorial Tower and Charles Baird Carillon Visit (3:00–4:00 PM)
In the lobby of Burton Memorial Tower, Ken will give a brief history of the Tower that honors Michigan’s 5th President Marion Leroy Burton who died of a heart attack in office in 1925 having served beginning in 1920. The group will take the elevator to the 8th floor, then climb two stories to the observation deck for a 360-degree view of the campus. There the group will also see, hear, and play some of the 53 bells of the 43-ton Charles Baird Carillon, a gift made possible by Baird, a Kansas City banker whose $70,000 gift in 1935 paid for the casting of the bells in England, their transportation to Ann Arbor, and their placement atop the Tower. This same Charles Baird served as Michigan’s first athletics director from 1898-1908 and hired Fielding Yost.
Ken Fischer
President Emeritus of the University Musical Society (UMS)
Faculty in Arts Leadership, School of Music, Theatre & Dance
University of Michigan
Ken Fischer is the President Emeritus of UMS, the organization at the University of Michigan (U-M) that has been bringing the finest dance, theater, and music from around the world to Ann Arbor for 144 years. A highlight of his 30 years as president was accepting the National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the U.S. government, on behalf of UMS from President Obama at the White House. During his tenure, UMS greatly expanded and diversified its programming and its audiences; deepened its engagement with the University and southeast Michigan communities; created exemplary partnerships with leading corporations, arts organizations, educational institutions, and community organizations; and received significant grants awarded by the leading foundations in the arts. Ken has been a frequent speaker at Camp Michigania, at U-M alumni clubs around the country, and on U-M alumni tours around the world.
Since retiring in 2017, Ken completed his memoir, Everybody In, Nobody Out: Inspiring Community at Michigan’s University Musical Society, published in 2020 by U-M Press. Wynton Marsalis, whom Ken presented 19 times, wrote the book’s foreword. He also teaches Arts Leadership at the School of Music, Theater & Dance; mentors U-M students and emerging arts professionals; and volunteers with local nonprofits.
Ken, who has degrees from The College of Wooster and U-M, worked in higher education and management consulting in Washington, DC before UMS. He is married to professional flutist Penny Fischer who teaches and performs throughout the region. Their son Matt, who is married with two sons, is Vice President of Apple overseeing the App Store.